Orange Hires A 'Hot Shot' Labor Lawyer County In Talks With 2 Unions, Fending Off 3rd

September 17, 1987|By Lauren Ritchie of The Sentinel Staff

In the midst of contract negotiations with two unions and fighting off a third, Orange County has hired a labor lawyer to handle the union troubles, officials said.

David Kornreich of the Miami law firm of Muller, Mintz, Kornreich, Caldwell, Casey, Crosland & Bramnick will join a group of county staff members who will ''help recommend labor policy,'' said County Attorney Harry Stewart.

He said labor law is a specialized field, and none of the assistant county attorneys practices it exclusively. Kornreich, who officials called a ''pretty hot shot'' labor lawyer, will make $90 an hour plus expenses.

Orange County is in rocky negotiations with the Orange County Professional Firefighters Association, which represents about 420 fire department employees.

Talks with the Laborers International Union of North America, with about 900 members, are going more smoothly, said Deputy County Administrator Phil Brown.

The union represents a variety of blue-collar workers in all county departments.

While they are talking with two unions, county officials are trying to fend off three unions that want to organize corrections officers in the jail.

The Police Benevolent Association, the United Auto Workers and the Fraternal Order of Police want to represent about 600 jail employees.

The county is mum on how they plan to defeat the union move.

''This is delicate stuff. I'm not going to tell you what I'm going to do,'' Stewart said.

In the case of the jail, the county can't do much until an administrative hearing officer rules on whether there should be an election to let corrections officers decide if they want a union and who should be part of the bargaining unit.

Attorneys for all sides must submit written arguments by today, and a ruling is expected during the first week of October. After that, all sides can campaign.

The unions have been passing out information in the parking lots of the three jails, holding meetings and asking officers to ''come over and drink a few beers,'' Brown said.

UAW officials demanded access to the jail for meetings; the county turned them down. The unions have asked for the names, home addresses and home telephone numbers of the corrections officers; the county sent only the names and work addresses of the officers, citing an exemption in the Florida public records law to protect the employees' privacy.

Meanwhile, the Orange County Professional Firefighters Association has asked the state to provide a mediator, claiming it cannot get a contract with the county. The stumbling blocks are salaries and management rights.

Union President Jerry Polk said starting pay is $16,190 and a firefighter who has been with the department five years is making $18,200, without overtime or merit increases.

With some extra education, he would make $21,000. In Orlando, a starting firefighter makes $21,000, he said.

Brown said the county and the firefighters are ''not close'' on salaries.

''We just think what they want is too much,'' he said. The firefighters plan would cost the county an additional $1.7 million, he said.